Category: England
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The Enigma of Knowlton Church: The Excursionist VII
[Knowlton Church…front facade] In the middle of Cranborne Chase, a hilly and breezy open region in north Dorset, is the shell of a Norman church. Nothing special really. These churches are found in many villages and hamlets of Dorset. What is unusual is that it is built-in the middle of a Neolithic ritual henge (a…
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The First Real Ramble: The Excursionist IV
[I’ll sneak this post in while many of you will still be reeling from Michael Cohen’s testimony in Congress.] Well, we took our first real walk through the fields of Dorset today. It was time. It was overdue. And it was one of the main reasons we’re here…to walk and to avoid the snow. I’ve…
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Looking For A Proper Lane To Ramble Along: The Excursionist IV
[Me rambling in Dorset. Deep in thought.] Finding places to ramble (walk) in England is something even a guy like me can do. That is unless I’m going to wear my clean hiking boots. Who wants to track mud into our host’s home? And, it is the mud season here. I haven’t seen any snow…
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North Dorset Once Again-The Excurinist III
[A London Pub. Nothing to do with this post.] We’re with our friends in North Dorset…once again. I met Tim when he was a rookie teacher when I was an exchange teacher in the mid-1980’s. Now he’s nearing retiring. His wife, Jo, is a major player in the local school, psychologist, and tutor. We love…
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Sick In London: The Excursionist II
[The Sherlock Holmes Pub. The only real outing we’ve had.] When your forty feet from the ‘largest bookstore’ in Europe, it’s hard to get bored. But alas, the usual ‘bug’ has hit us. We took the Red Eye from JFK to London on Sunday afternoon. Thinking we were going to get some stuff done…we both…
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A Fair Swap: The Excursionist I
On Friday, February 1, Mariam and I will be exchanging this: [The Hudson River on January 26, 2018] for this: [The Yorkshire Dales, England] It’s a pretty fine change of scenery if I do say so myself. Once upon a time, back in the day, I loved winter. How could one not love winter…when you’re…
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The Ring
My left hand is ringless. The wedding band lies on a tray on the dresser in our bedroom, along with assorted jewelry. Is this the sign of a marriage gone south? Hardly. The only thing that would be going south right now is my wife and I. Because outside the wind howls and the temperature…
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Like Living in a Holiday Greeting Card
[Photo is mine.] Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow. –Lyrics by Sammy Cahn I’ve never lived inside a greeting card before. You’d have to be really really thin, like Wiley C. Cayote after being flattened by a road paver. Never fear. My readers know that and that the title of this post…
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Adorable Aquatic Mammals Of Rainbow Lake
[Castor canadensis. Source: Wikipedia] beaver n. A large aquatic rodent having thick brown fur, webbed hind feet, a broad flat tail and sharp incisors used for felling trees and building dams. –The American Heritage Dictionary (5th ed.) When late summer arrives here in the North Country and the leaves begin to turn red, gold and…
patrickjegan 